Guwahati: Assam-based conservation biologist and Aaranyak’s primatologist Dilip Chetry attended the plenary session of the 2nd Conference of the Association of Indian Primatologists (AIP) at the University of Mysore.
Chetry, attended the conference, which began on February 9 along with Prof Mewa Singh, a famous primatologist from India.
The focus of the discussions of the conference was on behaviour and interactions between humans and primates, conservation and outreach activities for primates, ecology and evolution of primates.
The conference was sponsored by Aaranyak, Primate Conservation Inc, University of Mysore, and the IUCN Primate Section on Small Apes.
At a special session on the memories of Surendra Mal Mohnot, his contribution in the conservation of primates in Northeast India was highlighted.
Chetry, who heads the primate conservation initiatives of Aaranyak, highlighted that Mohnot was an important figure in the development of the Gibbon Conservation Centre at Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam.
The works done by Aaranyak to conserve primates in Northeast India, especially the Hoolock gibbon was highlighted at the conference.
Chetry also highlighted the different training programme of Aaranyak for the capacity building of Forest officer/staff taking Hoolock gibbon as flagship species for the conservation of biodiversity.
The Association of Indian Primatologists (AIP) is a community of Indian students, researchers, conservationists, and enthusiasts keen on promoting Indian primates, primatology, and conservation initiatives in India.
In another session, researcher with Aaranyak Rumana Maheen spoke on “An integrative approach to the study of the macaque presence and distribution in Tezu, Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh.”
She highlighted the application of molecular sampling and camera trapping to effectively map the presence and distribution of macaque in a complex habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.
